December 28, 2012
An Islamist Prime Minister for Malaysia?
by Farish M. Noor, RSIS
The recent ubiquitous public of a Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) was important for reduction talk of divinity or didactic discourse as well as an increasing concentration upon PAS' arriving debate for a 13th ubiquitous election, scheduled to be held anytime in between December this year as well as subsequent April.
PAS, that ranked third for a number of parliamentary seats won during a federal-level ubiquitous choosing of Mar 2008, will be aiming to benefit more parliamentary seats during a entrance polls. Discussion during a ubiquitous public was directed toward that goal.
That PAS would want to enhance upon a gains during a subsequent ubiquitous choosing is understandable, considering that a celebration that was shaped in 1951 is a oldest opposition celebration in a country. In 2008, however, PAS joined a Pakatan Rakyat coalition, that additionally comprises a People's Justice Party (PKR) as well as Democratic Action Party (DAP). The bloc is headed by Anwar Ibrahim, personality of a much smaller PKR, who is touted to be Prime Minister of any destiny Pakatan government.
An engaging development during a ubiquitous public was a idea that PAS' President, 
Abdul Hadi Awang, should instead be a elite claimant for Prime Minister if a Pakatan Rakyat bloc were to defeat a statute Barisan Nasional governme! nt. This was met by strong capitulation by representatives during a ubiquitous assembly, as well as signalled a shift in PAS' posturing within a Opposition coalition.
Thus far, PAS has been peaceful to take a backseat in Pakatan's debate for energy upon a assumption that Anwar would be a most expected claimant for Prime Minister. This stance was grown upon a grounds that he is best positioned to bridge a differences in between a Malay-Muslim-dominated PAS as well as a Malaysian-Chinese-dominated DAP.
The awaiting of an Islamist Prime Minister, in a form of Abdul Hadi Awang, is a possibility that has never been severely contemplated until right away (although a similar proposal was raised during a 2008 PAS ubiquitous assembly). Just because PAS members were penetrating to introduce their personality as a subsequent Prime Minister is an engaging question, entrance as it does so tighten to a ubiquitous election.
Firstly, there is a subject of either PAS' membership of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition has price PAS some of a votes as well as await from a traditional Malay-Muslim opinion bank. Over a past 5 years a bloc has had to residence issues trimming from environmental politics to a gratification state, that have not traditionally been a party's focus. Some PAS members feel a celebration has veered off a Islamist path by a engagement with alternative issues. This was reflected in criticism by PAS' youth wing that a party's newspaper, Harakah, ought to serve a interests of a celebration initial as well as inaugural rsther than than focusing upon broader concerns.
Secondly, there is a subject of simple arithmetic: if PAS was as well as stays a greatest celebration in a PAS-PKR-DAP coalition, afterwards because should a personality come from a single of a smaller parties? PAS members might feel that as a oldest as well as greatest celebration in a bloc they should have a right to lead! Pakatan as well as any supervision shaped in a name.
However, this is all contingent upon PAS winning a share of 40 parliamentary seats during a election. Some PAS leaders have confided that whilst celebration members might be eager about an Islamist Prime Minister, a rest of a nation might not be as vehement by a prospect. This view is upheld by UMNO leaders similar to Saifuddin Abdullah, who noted that 'PAS has so distant campaigned upon things similar to a gratification state, as well as a DAP keeps saying that Anwar is their choice for Prime Minister. To have a PAS personality as Prime Minister is an additional matter'.
Talk of PAS members perplexing to push for an Islamist Prime Minister has so distant been divisive. The Opposition bloc has tried to maintain a congruity by campaigning upon broad-based issues such as a smallest wage program as well as a gratification state, but many suspect that non-Malay await for a Opposition will eat away if there is a genuine awaiting of a nation entrance underneath a care of an Islamist Prime Minister.
Beyond a shores of Malaysia, a country's neighbours, that have never had to deal with a awaiting of a Malaysia underneath a care of Islamists, might be stirred to ask either Malaysia's foreign or defence policies will change significantly.
In a 2000s PAS leaders were mostly well known for their fiery anti-Western rhetoric as well as their protests opposite American intervention in Afghanistan as well as Iraq. A decade on, a celebration seems to be closer to realising a made at home domestic goal, that might have implications for Malaysia's informal station as well as shared ties with alternative states.
Much, therefore, depends upon either PAS manages to urge a parliamentary representation during a subsequent ubiquitous election, as well as either it ends up being a celebration with a most parliamentary seats in a Opposition coalition.
Dr Farish A Noor is Senior Fellow during a Contemporary Islam Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
A version of this article was initial published here as RSIS Commentary No. 212/2012
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/12/28/could-malaysia-elect-an-islamist-prime-minister/
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